World commercial services exports grew by 3% in the fourth quarter of 2012

22 March 2013

According to preliminary estimates by the WTO and UNCTAD, in the fourth quarter of 2012, world exports of commercial services grew by 3 %, as compared with the same quarter of the year before. The estimates point to a modest, but certain recovery of global services trade at the end of the year, after 2% decline recorded in the third quarter. Preliminary figures (balance-of-payments basis, current prices) indicate that the observed growth was led by Asia and Oceania (8%) and Northern America (5%). At the same time, Europe's services exports remained stagnant, at the level of exports recorded for the last 3 months of 2011.

World trade estimates are aggregated from individual reporters' quarterly balance-of-payments statistics taken from the IMF and Eurostat, supplemented with estimates for missing data, as well as national sources.

Quarterly figures may not add up to annual figures published elsewhere in WTO or UNCTAD statistical publications or online databases. Besides, quarterly statistics have a lower geographical coverage.